Classics Twitter and Fascist Dog-Whistles - Why has the field of Classics become entangled in the snare of Neo-Fascists?

 OPINION: Classics Twitter and Fascist Dog-Whistles - Why has the field of Classics become entangled in the snare of Neo-Fascists?

Christian O'Brien (L6F)

Foreword: Before you start reading, please do not harass any Twitter accounts mentioned here. They are mentioned purely so that their quotes can be sourced. Anyway, engaging with them on Twitter is the antithesis to what the rest of the Classics community want - it increases their engagement and increases the viewership of these accounts! Thank you.

Although perhaps more embroiled in controversy than in previous years, Twitter (recently rebranded to 'X') still remains a vital service for its 541 million active users, and this cannot be as true as for those users who study, or at least interested in, Classical Studies.

As close to a virtual ancient Roman forum as possible, the online space in which so many academics, scholars and students provide a plethora of media, from articles to memes, allows thousands of Classicists to indulge themselves in information that would have been kept to universities or societies. However, in a more nefarious corner of the online forum, the ancient world on Twitter has been used (and arguably exploited) by the far-right and modern Neo-Fascists, using the shallow ancient ideas on masculinity, tradition and superiority to fit their own, often racist, misogynistic, homophobic and transphobic messaging.

It does not take long to find accounts on the platform that do just this; the algorithm (engineered to recommend and promote tweets similar to content that your account follows) dots the timeline with tweets from accounts such as 'The Culture Critic' and 'The Hellenist'. While seemingly innocent in name, perhaps indicating the accounts of history, sociology  or indeed Classics academics, this is far from the truth. Some are quite blatant in their messaging - the latter account suggesting that 'colonisation' should be renamed to 'conquest', and that colonisation "makes [them] your superiors and entitles [them] to rule over you. The replies similarly spout common far-right ideas surrounding migrants and the supposed 'fall' of Western civilisation.

More covertly, another account comments on the fall of the Roman Republic, stating how "[w]hen virtue was lost, the Republic was lost… [c]an we keep ours?". Despite the blatant historical inaccuracies, it is clear to see that this post is another far-right dog-whistle, alluding to the common message that modern culture, namely the vague idea of 'wokeness' and 'liberal left politics', will lead to the collapse of society. But why do these accounts focus so heavily on the ancient world?

To answer this question, we must look at the history of fascism and Classics, as the use of the ancient world by political extremists is not a novel concept. Almost a century before these tweets existed, Benito Mussolini, the leader of Fascist Italy from 1922 until 1943 and one of the first fascist leaders to emerge, utilised Ancient Rome in controlling his totalitarian state. Most prevalent was Mussolini's use of the Fasces to symbolise and name fascism in Italy, the symbol originally being used as weapons by lictors (i.e. bodyguards) of Roman Republic magistrates, to represent strength through unity. In addition, the so-called 'Roman salute' (with an outstretched right-arm, later made infamous by the Nazi Party) was adopted to replace the "weak and unhygienic" handshake. Even the Latin language was revitalised by the regime, albeit to link Mussolini and the fascists closer to the supposed 'ideals' of Ancient Roman society.

From this historical context, it is easy to see that fascism favoured, and still favours, the supposed masculinity, strength and fraternity of ancient institutions. The Roman Army, ever changing over the centuries in which it existed, is one such example, with soldiers often being lauded as the ideal fascist citizen due to the long serving terms and harsh discipline they were subject to, as well as the idea of 'spreading Roman civilisation'. Roman Emperors are also similarly held in high regard because of their absolute power and authority, and it is not hard to think of a few fascist leaders who desired this. Similarly, the Ancient Greeks are respected for the image of the strong-willed, wise philosopher, the better alternative to the 'unintelligent savage'.

Despite these qualities, classical societies were not simply a hive of ultra-masculine, heterosexual males and their wives and families. For example, homosexuality was commonplace in both ancient Greece and Rome, at least within more aristocratic circles. Plato's The Symposium, a dialogue focusing on the nature of love, liberally discusses the idea of male "lovers" and "boyfriends". The character of Aristophanes comments that homosexual men "are the best of their generation… because they are bold, brave and masculine". Romans too viewed homosexuality as acceptable, and a man would have no risk of losing his masculinity or social status, although only if he were the 'active' (i.e. dominant) partner in the relationship (as those who were typically 'passive' tended to be slaves, former slaves, prostitutes or entertainers, without such a high status in society).

To return to the question, on a surface level, the ancient world and the wider study of Classics, is almost perfect for Classical and Neo-Fascists wishing to hide their blatantly hateful messages in a historical shroud. For many of them, it seems as though a return to the ideals of Augustus' Roman Empire would be the only way to combat the 'evils' of modern Western civilisation (though not rampant wealth disparity, the environmental crisis or war, but gay pride and historical revisionism). Seemingly, for as long as Classics is studied, fascists will similarly exploit the field as well, despite the deep complexities of these societies.

However, this dark side of Classics is not ignored by the rest of the community. With almost 500,000 followers on Twitter, the account 'Classical Studies Memes for Hellenistic Teens', usually uploading quite amusing memes and jokes regarding the ancient world, often identifies and calls out 'fash' (fascist) accounts. Similarly, they have also provided useful information in helping others identify such accounts, the number one indicator being the "marble bust picture" on their profile.

But how can we fully combat this? In reality, it is probably impossible. Although, the best that could be suggested is for more people to study Classics, whether it be through language or history, so that the full nuance of the ancient world is understood (not just because my Latin class has only a pitiful 5 students at A-Level). Maybe by shouting louder than these neo-fascist accounts with the truth about Rome, Greece, Persia and beyond, the dark corner of the forum will become a little more bright.